Solid-State Lighting With Auto-Tests And Communications

ABSTRACT

A light-emitting diode (LED) luminaire comprises an emergency-operated portion comprising a rechargeable battery with a terminal voltage, a self-diagnostic circuit, and a node modulator-de modulator (MODEM). The LED luminaire can auto-switch from a normal power to an emergency power according to availability of the normal power and whether a rechargeable battery test is initiated. The self-diagnostic circuit comprises a clock and is configured to initiate self-diagnostic tests and to auto-evaluate battery performance according to test schedules with the terminal voltage examined and test results stored. The LED luminaire further comprises a remote controller configured to initiate control signals with phase-shift keying (PSK) signals transmitted and to collect test data to and from the node MODEM. The node MODEM is configured to demodulate the PSK signals and to send commands to the self-diagnostic circuit to request responses accordingly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is part of a continuation-in-part (CIP)application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/076,748, filed 21Oct. 2020, which is part of CIP application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/026,903, filed 21 Sep. 2020, which is part of CIPapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/016,296, filed 9 Sep.2020, which is part of CIP application of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/989,016, filed 10 Aug. 2020, which is part of CIP application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/929,540, filed 15 Jul. 2020, whichis part of CIP application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/904,206, filed 17 Jun. 2020, which is part of CIP application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/880,375, filed 21 May 2020, which is partof CIP application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/861,137, filed28 Apr. 2020, which is part of CIP application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/830,198, filed 25 Mar. 2020, which is part ofCIP application of U.S. patent application Ser. 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BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to light-emitting diode (LED) luminairesand more particularly to an LED luminaire that includes aself-diagnostic circuit to auto-test a rechargeable battery according toa test schedule provided by a real-time clock and to communicate with anemergency lighting management system with test results when requested.

Description of the Related Art

Solid-state lighting from semiconductor LEDs has received much attentionin general lighting applications today. Because of its potential formore energy savings, better environmental protection (with no hazardousmaterials used), higher efficiency, smaller size, and longer lifetimethan conventional incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes, the LED−based solid-state lighting will be a mainstream for general lighting inthe near future. Meanwhile, as LED technologies develop with the drivefor energy efficiency and clean technologies worldwide, more familiesand organizations will adopt LED lighting for their illuminationapplications. In this trend, the potential safety concerns such as riskof electric shock and fire become especially important and need to bewell addressed.

In today's retrofit applications of an LED luminaire to replace anexisting fluorescent luminaire, consumers may choose either to adopt aballast-compatible LED luminaire with an existing ballast used tooperate the fluorescent luminaire or to employ an alternate-current (AC)mains-operable LED luminaire by removing/bypassing the ballast. Eitherapplication has its advantages and disadvantages. In the former case,although the ballast consumes extra power, it is straightforward toreplace the fluorescent luminaire without rewiring, which consumers havea first impression that it is the best alternative. But the fact is thattotal cost of ownership for this approach is high regardless of very lowinitial cost. For example, the ballast-compatible LED luminaires workonly with particular types of ballasts. If the existing ballast is notcompatible with the ballast-compatible LED luminaire, the consumer willhave to replace the ballast. Some facilities built long time agoincorporate different types of fixtures, which requires extensive laborfor both identifying ballasts and replacing incompatible ones. Moreover,the ballast-compatible LED luminaire can operate longer than theballast. When an old ballast fails, a new ballast will be needed toreplace in order to keep the ballast-compatible LED luminaires working.Maintenance will be complicated, sometimes for the luminaires andsometimes for the ballasts. The incurred cost will preponderate over theinitial cost savings by changeover to the ballast-compatible LEDluminaires for hundreds of fixtures throughout a facility. In addition,replacing a failed ballast requires a certified electrician. The laborcosts and long-term maintenance costs will be unacceptable to end users.From energy saving point of view, a ballast constantly draws power, evenwhen the ballast-compatible LED luminaires are dead or not installed. Inthis sense, any energy saved while using the ballast-compatible LEDluminaires becomes meaningless with the constant energy use by theballast. In the long run, the ballast-compatible LED luminaires are moreexpensive and less efficient than self-sustaining AC mains-operable LEDluminaires.

On the contrary, the AC mains-operable LED luminaire does not require aballast to operate. Before use of the AC mains-operable LED luminaire,the ballast in a fixture must be removed or bypassed. Removing orbypassing the ballast does not require an electrician and can bereplaced by end users. Each AC mains-operable LED luminaire isself-sustaining. Once installed, the AC mains-operable LED luminaireswill only need to be replaced after 50,000 hours. In view of aboveadvantages and disadvantages of both the ballast-compatible LEDluminaires and the AC mains-operable LED luminaires, it seems thatmarket needs a most cost-effective solution by using a universal LEDluminaire that can be used with the AC mains and is compatible with aballast so that LED luminaire users can save an initial cost bychangeover to such an LED luminaire followed by retrofitting theluminaire fixture to be used with the AC mains when the ballast dies.

Furthermore, the AC mains-operable LED luminaires can easily be usedwith emergency lighting, which is especially important in thisconsumerism era. The emergency lighting systems in retail sales andassembly areas with an occupancy load of 100 or more are required bycodes in many cities. Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) requires that a building's exit paths be properly andautomatically lighted at least ninety minutes of illumination at aminimum of 10.8 lux so that an employee with normal vision can see alongthe exit route after the building power becomes unavailable. This meansthat emergency egress lighting must operate reliably and effectivelyduring low visibility evacuations. To ensure reliability andeffectiveness of backup lighting, building owners should abide by theNational Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) emergency egress lightrequirements that emphasize performance, operation, power source, andtesting. OSHA requires most commercial buildings to adhere to the NFPAstandards or a significant fine. Meeting OSHA requirements takes timeand investment, but not meeting them could result in fines and evenprosecution. If a building has egress lighting problems that constitutecode violations, the quickest way to fix is to replace existingluminaires with multi-function LED luminaires that have an emergencylight package integrated with the normal lighting. The code alsorequires the emergency lights be periodically inspected and tested toensure they are in proper working conditions at all times. It is,therefore, the manufacturers' responsibility to design an LED luminaire,an LED luminaire, or an LED lighting system with a self-diagnosticmechanism such that after the LED luminaire or the LED luminaire isinstalled on a ceiling or a high place in a room, the self-diagnosticmechanism can work with an emergency battery backup system toperiodically auto-test charging and discharging current to meetregulatory requirements without safety issues. Furthermore, whereas thecode also requires that written records documenting the testing bemaintained and available for review by local fire departments, themarket needs all of self-diagnostic test results to be transmitted to acentral station to be recorded and managed when a number of LEDluminaires, each with an emergency-operated portion, are deployed in awide area in a building. In this disclosure, how to process and towirelessly communicate the self-diagnostic test results in the LEDluminaire are addressed.

SUMMARY

An LED luminaire comprising a normally operated portion and anemergency-operated portion is used to replace a luminaire operated onlyin a normal mode with the AC mains. The normally operated portioncomprises one or more LED arrays and a power supply unit that powers theone or more LED arrays when a line voltage from the AC mains isavailable. The emergency-operated portion comprises a rechargeablebattery with a terminal voltage, a control and test circuit, a noderadio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuit, and an LED driving circuitconfigured to receive power from the rechargeable battery and togenerate a voltage operating the one or more LED arrays when the linevoltage from the AC mains is unavailable. The control and test circuitcomprises a self-diagnostic circuit and a charging detection and controlcircuit. The control and test circuit is configured to either enable ordisable the LED driving circuit and the power supply unit according toavailability of the AC mains and whether a rechargeable battery test isinitiated. The charging detection and control circuit comprises a firsttransistor circuit configured to detect a charging voltage.

The power supply unit comprises at least two electrical conductorsconfigured to receive an input AC voltage, a main full-wave rectifier,and an input filter. The at least two electrical conductors areconfigured to couple to the emergency-operated portion. The mainfull-wave rectifier is coupled to the at least two electrical conductorsand configured to convert the input AC voltage into a primarydirect-current (DC) voltage. The input filter is configured to suppresselectromagnetic interference (EMI) noises. The power supply unit furthercomprises a power switching converter comprising a main transformer anda power factor correction (PFC) and power switching circuit. The PFC andpower switching circuit is coupled to the main full-wave rectifier viathe input filter and configured to improve a power factor and to convertthe primary DC voltage into a main DC voltage with a first LED drivingcurrent. The main DC voltage with the first LED driving current isconfigured to couple to the one or more LED arrays to operate thereof.

The emergency-operated portion further comprises at least one full-waverectifier and a charging circuit. The at least one full-wave rectifieris coupled to the AC mains and configured to convert the line voltagefrom the AC mains into a first DC voltage. The charging circuitcomprises a charging control device, a first transformer, a first groundreference, and a second ground reference electrically isolated from thefirst ground reference. The charging circuit is coupled to the at leastone full-wave rectifier and configured to convert the first DC voltageinto a second DC voltage that charges the rechargeable battery to reacha nominal third DC voltage. The charging circuit is configured tomonitor the second DC voltage and to regulate the charging controldevice in response to various charging requirements. The LED drivingcircuit is configured to convert the terminal voltage of therechargeable battery into a fourth DC voltage with a second LED drivingcurrent to drive the one or more LED arrays when the line voltage fromthe AC mains is unavailable.

The self-diagnostic circuit comprises a real-time clock, a controlportion, and a test portion. The self-diagnostic circuit is configuredto initiate the rechargeable battery test according to predeterminedtest schedules provided by the real-time clock. Each of thepredetermined test schedules comprises a test period immediatelyfollowing an initiation of a test event. Upon the initiation of the testevent, the test period begins with an output of the self-diagnosticcircuit activated to reach a logic-high level and remaining activated soas to enable the LED driving circuit and the test and control unit. Atan end of the test period, the output of the self-diagnostic circuit isinactivated to drop to a logic-low level. A duration of the test periodis configured to allow the self-diagnostic circuit to controldischarging of the rechargeable battery and to perform the rechargeablebattery test. Specifically, whereas the real-time clock starts with areset, the predetermined test schedules comprise a first kind of thetest event and a second kind of the test event respectively at an end ofeach month and at an end of each year after the reset. Respective testperiods of the predetermined test schedules comprise a nominal durationof 30 seconds and 90 minutes.

The charging detection and control circuit further comprises aperipheral circuit. The peripheral circuit is configured to sample afraction of the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery and todeliver to the test portion to examine over a duration of the testperiod when the rechargeable battery test is initiated by theself-diagnostic circuit. The test portion is configured to perform apass/fail test. When the terminal voltage drops below a firstpredetermined level over the duration of the test period, the testportion assesses the rechargeable battery test as a “failure”, a“no-go”, a “no”, or a “1”. The charging detection and control circuitfurther comprises at least one status indicator configured to showself-diagnostic test results.

The control portion is configured to receive a signal from the firsttransistor circuit and to send a first control signal to the chargingcontrol device to inactivate the charging circuit when the rechargeablebattery test is initiated. The charging detection and control circuit iscoupled between the charging circuit and the rechargeable battery andcontrolled by the self-diagnostic circuit. When the first transistorcircuit detects the charging voltage, a pull-down signal is sent to theself-diagnostic circuit to enable a normal charging process. Thecharging detection and control circuit further comprises a chargingcontrol circuit configured to either allow or prohibit a chargingcurrent to flow into the rechargeable battery according to availabilityof the AC mains. The charging control circuit prohibits the chargingcurrent to flow into the rechargeable battery when the rechargeablebattery test is initiated. The charging control circuit comprises asecond transistor circuit and a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effecttransistor (MOSFET). The second transistor circuit is configured toreceive a high-level signal equal to a nominal operating voltage of theself-diagnostic circuit therefrom to pull down a bias voltage of theMOSFET, thereby disconnecting the charging current when the rechargeablebattery test is initiated.

The charging detection and control circuit further comprises at leastone pair of electrical contacts configured to electrically couple therechargeable battery to the charging circuit, the LED driving circuit,and the self-diagnostic circuit to operate thereof when the rechargeablebattery test is initiated or when the line voltage from the AC mains isnot available. When disconnected, the at least one pair of electricalcontacts can prevent the rechargeable battery from being drained. The atleast one pair of electrical contacts comprise electrical contacts in aswitch, a relay, and a jumper, or electrical terminals accommodated forjumper wires. The charging detection and control circuit furthercomprises a test switch coupled to the self-diagnostic circuit andconfigured to manually initiate and terminate either a 30-second test ora 90-minute test of the rechargeable battery. The charging detection andcontrol circuit further comprises at least one status indicatorconfigured to couple to the self-diagnostic circuit. When either the30-second test or the 90-minute test is manually initiated and when theterminal voltage is examined to be respectively lower than either asecond predetermined level or a third predetermined level, theself-diagnostic circuit chooses not to perform respective tests with astatus signal sent to the at least one status indicator to show that therechargeable battery is insufficiently charged for the respective tests.

The real-time clock further comprises a random-access memory (RAM)whereas the self-diagnostic circuit further comprises a data busconnected to the real-time clock. At the end of the test period, a testresult of the pass/fail test is serially transmitted via the data bus tothe RAM. The RAM is configured to store multiple attribute data ofself-diagnostic test results in multiple pass/fail tests over thepredetermined test schedules with information of self-diagnostic testtimes. Both the multiple attribute data of the self-diagnostic testresults and the information of the self-diagnostic test times can beserially transferred to the node RF transceiver circuit when requested.The real-time clock further comprises a primary power supply, a backuppower supply, and a built-in power-sense circuit configured to detectpower outages and to automatically switch from the primary power supplyto the backup power supply to sustain operating the real-time clockwithout a loss of the predetermined test schedules, the multipleattribute data of the self-diagnostic test results, and the informationof the self-diagnostic test times. The test and control unit maycomprise a microcontroller, a microchip, a microprocessor, or aprogrammable logic controller.

The emergency-operated portion further comprises a node radio-frequency(RF) transceiver circuit comprising a node modulator-demodulator(MODEM), a first digital interface, and a node controller coupled to thenode MODEM via the first digital interface with data buffered in afirst-in and first-out format. The node MODEM comprises a first set of aplurality of mixers, a first low-noise amplifier, and a first poweramplifier and is configured to either demodulate received phase-shiftkeying (PSK) band-pass signals or modulate attribute data intotransmitted PSK band-pass signals. The node controller is configured toserially transmit and receive the data to and from the self-diagnosticcircuit. In one case, the node RF transceiver circuit further comprisesa node single-ended antenna and a first RF front-end device coupled tothe node single-ended antenna. The first RF front-end device isconfigured to transmit and to receive more than one data signal arrivingfrom different paths and at different times to increase a data rate anda transmission range. The node RF transceiver circuit further comprisesa first pair of balanced to unbalanced devices configured to convertbetween a balanced signal from the node MODEM and an unbalanced signalfrom the first RF front-end device for optimizing a transmission powertransfer and a power loss, i.e. for maximizing transmit/receiveefficiency. In another case, the node RF transceiver circuit may furthercomprise a first single-ended antenna and a first balanced to unbalanceddevice coupled to the first single-ended antenna. The first balanced tounbalanced device is configured to convert between a balanced signalfrom the node MODEM and an unbalanced signal from the node single-endedantenna for maximizing transmit/receive efficiency and power transfer.

In this disclosure, the emergency-operated portion is integrated intothe LED luminaire with the self-diagnostic circuit to auto-test chargingand discharging current of a rechargeable battery with self-diagnostictest results displayed in a status indicator, supporting dual modeoperations of the LED luminaire to work not only in a normal mode butalso in an emergency mode. However, as mentioned above, theself-diagnostic test results may be stored in the self-diagnosticcircuit, queuing for transmitting to the node RF transceiver circuit.Furthermore, the self-diagnostic test results may be transmitted to acentral station to be recorded for further reviews when requested. It isespecially essential when many LED luminaires with theemergency-operated portion are widely deployed in a field, and whennumerous streaming data are transmitted to the central station. Althoughbeing likely integrated in the LED luminaire, the emergency-operatedportion may be attached to the power supply unit to sustain lighting upthe one or more LED arrays at a fraction of the full power when the linevoltage from the AC mains is unavailable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present disclosureare described with reference to the following figures, wherein likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figuresunless otherwise specified. Moreover, in the section of detaileddescription of the invention, any of a “main”, a “primary”, a “first”, a“second”, a “third”, and so forth does not necessarily represent a partthat is mentioned in an ordinal manner, but a particular one.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an LED luminaire according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a self-diagnostic circuit according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an LED driving circuit according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of a self-diagnostic circuit according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a node RF transceiver circuit according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a node RF transceiver circuit in anothercase according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a remote controller according to thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an LED luminaire according to the presentdisclosure. An LED luminaire 110 is used to replace a fluorescent or anLED luminaire normally operated with the AC mains in a normal mode. InFIG. 1, the LED luminaire 110 comprises an emergency-operated portion810, one or more LED arrays 214 with a forward voltage across thereof,and a power supply unit 311 that powers the one or more LED arrays 214when the line voltage from the AC mains is available. Theemergency-operated portion 810 comprises an LED driving circuit 650configured to provide an emergency power (a voltage and a current) todrive the one or more LED arrays 214 when the line voltage from the ACmains is unavailable. The power supply unit 311 originally designed toreceive the line voltage from the AC mains for general lightingapplications is configured to operate in the normal mode. The powersupply unit 311 comprises at least two electrical conductors “L′” and“N”, a main full-wave rectifier 301, and an input filter 302. The atleast two electrical conductors “L′” and “N” are configured to couple to“L” and “N” via a power switch 360. The main full-wave rectifier 301 isconfigured to convert the line voltage from the AC mains into a primaryDC voltage. In other words, the at least two electrical conductors “L′”and “N” are coupled to a switched power, in which the power supply unit311 can be turned off when the LED luminaire 110 is not in use duringnighttime. The input filter 302 is configured to suppresselectromagnetic interference (EMI) noises. The power supply unit 311further comprises a power switching converter 303 comprising a maintransformer 304 and a power factor correction (PFC) and power switchingcircuit 305. The PFC and power switching circuit 305 is coupled to themain full-wave rectifier 301 via the input filter 302 and configured toimprove a power factor and to allow the power switching converter 303 toconvert the primary DC voltage into a main DC voltage. The main DCvoltage is configured to couple to the one or more LED arrays 214 tooperate thereon. The main transformer 304 comprises a third groundreference 256, electrically isolated from a negative (−) port of themain full-wave rectifier 301. The one or more LED arrays 214 comprises afirst terminal LED+ and a second terminal LED− configured to receive anLED driving current from the first terminal LED+ and to return from thesecond terminal LED− to either the LED driving circuit 650 or the powersupply unit 311, depending on which one is a source of the LED drivingcurrent. The power switching converter 303 is a current sourceconfigured to provide the first LED driving current to the one or moreLED arrays 214 to operate thereon. The PFC and power switching circuit305 comprises a main control device 306 configured to receive apull-down signal via a port “D” to disable the PFC and power switchingcircuit 305 so that the power switching converter 303 ceases to providethe first LED driving current to drive the one or more LED arrays 214when a rechargeable battery test is initiated.

In FIG. 1, the emergency-operated portion 810 further comprises the atleast two electrical conductors “L” and “N” configured to couple to theAC mains, a rechargeable battery 800, at least one full-wave rectifier401, at least one input filter 402 coupled to the at least one full-waverectifier 401, a charging circuit 403, and a control and test circuit701. The at least one full-wave rectifier 401 is coupled to the at leasttwo electrical conductors “L” and “N” and configured to convert the linevoltage from the AC mains into a first DC voltage. The at least oneinput filter 402 is configured to suppress EMI noises. The rechargeablebattery 800 comprises a high-potential electrode 801 and a low-potentialelectrode 802 with a terminal voltage across thereon. The chargingcircuit 403 is an isolated step-down converter and comprises a firstground reference 254, a second ground reference 255 electricallyisolated from the first ground reference 254, a first transformer 404, afeedback control circuit 405, a charging control device 406, a firstelectronic switch 407, and a diode 408. The charging circuit 403 iscoupled to the at least one full-wave rectifier 401 via the input filter402 and configured to convert the first DC voltage into a second DCvoltage that charges the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery800 to reach a nominal third DC voltage. Please note that the terminalvoltage of the rechargeable battery 800 may be slightly less than thenominal third DC voltage because the rechargeable battery 800 ages or anambient temperature is below an optimum operating temperature. When therechargeable battery 800 badly ages or goes wrong, the terminal voltagemay be far from the nominal third DC voltage. That is why therechargeable battery test is needed to ensure that the rechargeablebattery 800 is working all the time. The feedback control circuit 405 isconfigured to monitor the second DC voltage (V₂) via a diode 431 and toregulate the charging control device 406 according to charging voltageand current requirements. The first transformer 404 comprises a primarywinding coupled to the first ground reference 254 and a secondarywinding coupled to the second ground reference 255. The firsttransformer 404 is configured to provide electrical isolation betweenthe AC mains and the second DC voltage with respect to the second groundreference 255. In FIG. 1, the second ground reference 255 iselectrically coupled to the low-potential electrode 802 to ease acharging current to flow into the rechargeable battery 800 and to returnto the charging circuit 403, completing a power transfer.

In FIG. 1, the control and test circuit 701 further comprises aself-diagnostic circuit 720 and a charging detection and control circuit740. The control and test circuit 701 is configured to either enable ordisable the LED driving circuit 650 via a port denoted as “E” accordingto availability of the AC mains and whether a rechargeable battery testis initiated. The charging detection and control circuit 740 comprises afirst transistor circuit 741 configured to detect a charging voltage(i.e. the second DC voltage) generated from the charging circuit 403. InFIG. 1, the emergency-operated portion 810 further comprises a node RFtransceiver circuit 500 configured to receive and demodulate variousphase-shift keying (PSK) band-pass signals and to communicate with theself-diagnostic circuit 720. The self-diagnostic circuit 720 comprises atest and control unit 721 comprising a test portion 722 and a controlportion 723 respectively configured to examine the terminal voltage andto control charging and discharging of the rechargeable battery 800.

In FIG. 1, the charging detection and control circuit 740 furthercomprises a voltage regulator 746 configured to adjust the nominal thirdDC voltage or the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery 800 to anoperating voltage of the self-diagnostic circuit 720 to operate thereof.The self-diagnostic circuit 720 further comprises a real-time clock 731.The self-diagnostic circuit 720 is configured to initiate therechargeable battery test according to predetermined test schedulesprovided by the real-time clock 731. The charging detection and controlcircuit 740 further comprises a peripheral circuit 744. The peripheralcircuit 744 is configured to sample a fraction of the terminal voltageof the rechargeable battery 800 and to deliver to the test portion 722to examine over a duration of the test period when the rechargeablebattery test is initiated. The test portion 722 is configured to examinethe terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery 800 and to perform apass/fail test. When the terminal voltage drops below a firstpredetermined level over the duration of the test period, the testportion 722 assesses the rechargeable battery test as a “failure”, a“no-go”, a “no”, or a “1”.

In FIG. 1, the control portion 723 is configured to receive a pull-upsignal from the first transistor circuit 741 and to send a first controlsignal via the port “D” to the charging control device 406 to inactivatethe charging circuit 403 when the rechargeable battery test isinitiated. Note that the first control signal is also sent to the maincontrol device 306 via the port “D” to inactivate the power switchingconverter 303 when the rechargeable battery test is initiated. Thecharging detection and control circuit 740 is coupled between thecharging circuit 403 and the rechargeable battery 800 and controlled bythe self-diagnostic circuit 720. When the first transistor circuit 741detects the charging voltage, a pull-down signal is sent to theself-diagnostic circuit 720 to enable a normal charging process. Thecharging detection and control circuit 740 further comprises a chargingcontrol circuit 750 comprising a second transistor circuit 742 and ametal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) 743. Thecharging control circuit 750 is configured to either allow or prohibit acharging current to flow into the rechargeable battery 800 according toavailability of the AC mains. The charging control circuit 750 prohibitsthe charging current to flow into the rechargeable battery 800 when therechargeable battery test is initiated. The second transistor circuit742 is configured to receive a high-level signal equal to a nominaloperating voltage of the self-diagnostic circuit 720 therefrom to pulldown a bias voltage of the MOSFET 743, thereby disconnecting thecharging current when the rechargeable battery test is initiated.

In FIG. 1, the charging detection and control circuit 740 furthercomprises at least one pair of electrical contacts 748 configured toelectrically couple the rechargeable battery 800 to the charging circuit403, the LED driving circuit 650, and the self-diagnostic circuit 720when the at least one pair of electrical contacts 748 are connected.When the rechargeable battery test is initiated or when the line voltagefrom the AC mains is unavailable, power from the rechargeable battery800 can operate both the LED driving circuit 650 and the self-diagnosticcircuit 720. On the other hand, when disconnected, the at least one pairof electrical contacts 748 can safely prevent the rechargeable battery800 from being drained. The at least one pair of electrical contacts 748comprise electrical contacts in a switch, a relay, and a jumper, orelectrical terminals accommodated for jumper wires.

In FIG. 1, the charging detection and control circuit 740 furthercomprises at least one status indicator 747 controlled by theself-diagnostic circuit 720 and configured to show self-diagnostic testresults with various codes. The charging detection and control circuit740 further comprises a test switch 749 coupled to the self-diagnosticcircuit 720 and is configured to manually have the self-diagnosticcircuit 720 initiate the rechargeable battery test. The test switch 749may be further configured to manually have the self-diagnostic circuit720 terminate the rechargeable battery test that is in progress. That isto say, the test switch 749 may be configured to manually initiate andterminate either a 30-second test or a 90-minute test of therechargeable battery 800. When either the 30-second test or the90-minute test is manually initiated and when the terminal voltage isexamined to be respectively lower than either a second predeterminedlevel or a third predetermined level, the self-diagnostic circuit 720may choose not to perform respective tests with a status signal sent tothe at least one status indicator 747 to show that the rechargeablebattery 800 is insufficiently charged for the respective tests.

In FIG. 1, the charging detection and control circuit 740 furthercomprises at least one diode 754 and at least one resistor 755 connectedin series with the at least one diode 754. The at least one diode 754and the at least one resistor 755 are electrically coupled between thecharging circuit 403 and the rechargeable battery 800 and configured tocontrol a current flowing direction and to set up a voltage drop so thatthe first transistor circuit 741 can readily detect whether the chargingvoltage exists and determine whether the line voltage from the AC mainsis available or not. In FIG. 1, the power supply unit 311 furthercomprises a first current blocking diode 308 coupled between the powerswitching converter 303 and the one or more LED arrays 214. The firstcurrent blocking diode 308 is configured to couple to the one or moreLED arrays 214 to prevent the second LED driving current provided by theLED driving circuit 650 from flowing in, avoiding crosstalk. Similarly,the LED driving circuit 650 may further comprise a second currentblocking diode 607 configured to couple to the one or more LED arrays214 to prevent the first LED driving current provided by the powersupply unit 311 from flowing in, avoiding crosstalk.

In FIG. 1, the test and control unit 721 may comprise a microcontroller,a microchip, a microprocessor, or a programmable logic controller. Inthis disclosure, the emergency-operated portion 810 is depicted to beintegrated into the LED luminaire 110 with the self-diagnostic circuit720 to auto-test charging and discharging current of a rechargeablebattery 800 with self-diagnostic test results displayed in a statusindicator, supporting dual mode operations of the LED luminaire 110 towork not only in a normal mode but also in an emergency mode. Asmentioned above, the self-diagnostic test results may be stored in theself-diagnostic circuit 720, queuing for transmitting to the node RFtransceiver circuit 500. Furthermore, the self-diagnostic test resultsmay be transmitted to a central station to be recorded when requested.It is especially important when many of the LED luminaire 110 with theemergency-operated portion 810 are widely deployed in a field coveringmany buildings. Although being integrated in the LED luminaire 110 inFIG. 1, the emergency-operated portion 810 may be attached to the powersupply unit 311 to sustain lighting up the one or more LED arrays 214 ata fraction of the full power when the line voltage from the AC mains isunavailable.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a self-diagnostic circuit according to thepresent disclosure. As depicted in FIG. 1, the self-diagnostic circuit720 comprises the real-time clock 731 and the test and control unit 721comprising the test portion 722 and the control portion 723. Theself-diagnostic circuit 720 is configured to initiate the rechargeablebattery test according to predetermined test schedules provided by thereal-time clock 731. In FIG. 2, the real-time clock 731 furthercomprises a random-access memory (RAM) 732 whereas the self-diagnosticcircuit 720 further comprises a data bus 725 and a serial clock 726 bothconnected to the real-time clock 731. At the end of the test period, atest result of the pass/fail test is serially transmitted via the databus 725 to the RAM 732. The serial clock 726 is configured tosynchronize such a data transfer via the data bus 725. The RAM 732 isconfigured to store multiple attribute data of self-diagnostic testresults in multiple pass/fail tests over the predetermined testschedules with information of self-diagnostic test times such as a year,a month, and a day in a calendar. Both the multiple attribute data ofthe self-diagnostic test results and the information of theself-diagnostic test times are serially transferred to the node RFtransceiver circuit 500 when requested. The real-time clock 731 furthercomprises a primary power supply 734, a backup power supply 735, and abuilt-in power-sense circuit 733 configured to detect power outages andto automatically switch from the primary power supply 734 to the backuppower supply 735 to sustain operating the real-time clock 731 without aloss of the predetermined test schedules, the multiple attribute data ofthe self-diagnostic test results, and the information of theself-diagnostic test times. As depicted in FIG. 1, the voltage regulator746 is configured to adjust the nominal third DC voltage or the terminalvoltage of the rechargeable battery 800 to an operating voltage of theself-diagnostic circuit 720 to operate thereof. Whereas the primarypower supply 734 receives the operating voltage of the self-diagnosticcircuit 720, the backup power supply 735 uses a small battery as abackup supply.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the LED driving circuit 650 according tothe present disclosure. The LED driving circuit 650 comprises a step-upconverter 651 comprising an input inductor 652, an electronic switch653, a logic control device 654, at least one diode rectifier 655, and asensing resistor 656. The LED driving circuit 650 further comprises aninput capacitor 657, an output capacitor 658 coupled between the atleast one diode rectifier 655 and the second ground reference 255 at aport “C”, and a Zener diode 662, in which the input capacitor 657 andthe output capacitor 658 are configured to filter out unwanted voltagenoises generated from the step-up converter 651. The LED driving circuit650 is configured to boost the terminal voltage into a fourth DC voltageat a port “B” with respect to the second ground reference 255 and toprovide the second LED driving current. The logic control device 654 isconfigured to control the electronic switch 653 “on” and “off”. The LEDdriving circuit 650 is configured to couple to the terminal voltage(i.e. the nominal third DC voltage, V₃) via a port denoted as “A” fromthe rechargeable battery 800. The LED driving circuit 650 furthercomprises the port “E” to receive an “enable” signal from theself-diagnostic circuit 720 (FIG. 1) to activate the LED driving circuit650 when the line voltage from the AC mains is unavailable or when therechargeable battery test is initiated. The fourth DC voltage is greaterthan an intrinsic forward voltage of the one or more LED arrays 214 toensure operating the one or more LED arrays 214 without failure when theline voltage from the AC mains is unavailable. In other words, the LEDdriving circuit 650 is configured to receive the terminal voltage fromthe rechargeable battery 800 and to convert the terminal voltage intothe fourth DC voltage with the second LED driving current to power upthe one or more LED arrays 214 when the line voltage from the AC mainsis unavailable. On the other hand, the power supply unit 311 isconfigured to generate the main DC voltage with the first LED drivingcurrent to power up the one or more LED arrays 214 at full power and tomeet LED luminaire efficacy requirements when the line voltage from theAC mains is available.

FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of the self-diagnostic circuit 720 accordingto the present disclosure. The self-diagnostic circuit 720 comprises thereal-time clock 731, the test portion 722, and the control portion 723.The self-diagnostic circuit 720 is configured to initiate therechargeable battery test according to predetermined test schedulesprovided by the real-time clock 731. Each of the predetermined testschedules comprises a test period immediately following an initiation ofa test event. Upon the initiation of the test event, such as a firstkind of an initiation 901 and a second kind of an initiation 902, thetest period begins with an output 739 of the self-diagnostic circuit 720activated to reach a logic-high level (i.e. “1” state) and remainingactivated so as to enable the LED driving circuit 650 and the test andcontrol unit 721. At an end of the test period, the output 739 of theself-diagnostic circuit 720 is inactivated to drop to a logic-low level(i.e. “0” state). A duration of the test period is configured to allowthe self-diagnostic circuit 720 to control discharging of therechargeable battery 800 and to perform the rechargeable battery test.Specifically, whereas the real-time clock starts with a reset, thepredetermined test schedules comprise a first kind of the test event 903and a second kind of the test event 904 respectively at an end of eachmonth and at an end of each year after the reset. The reset is neededwhen the LED luminaire 110 is first installed. The first kind of thetest event 903 and a second kind of the test event respectively comprisea test period 736 and a test period 737, which respectively comprise anominal duration of 30 seconds and 90 minutes. In FIG. 4, the output 739shown comprises two states “0” and “1”, in which “0” means no voltageappeared or being inactivated at the output 739 of the self-diagnosticcircuit 720 whereas “1” means that the output 739 of the self-diagnosticcircuit 720 provides a high-level output voltage or is activated. Inother words, the self-diagnostic circuit 720 sends the high-level outputvoltage to enable the LED driving circuit 650 via the port “E” duringthe test period 736 or 737.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a node radio-frequency (RF) transceivercircuit according to the present disclosure. The node RF transceivercircuit 500, served as a node or one of network devices in a local areanetwork (LAN) or a personal area network (PAN), comprises a nodemodulator-demodulator (MODEM) 510, a first digital interface 520, and anode controller 530 coupled to the node MODEM 510 via the first digitalinterface 520 with transmitted data and received data both buffered in afirst-in and first-out format. The node MODEM 510 comprises a first setof a plurality of mixers 511, a first low-noise amplifier 512, and afirst power amplifier 513 and is configured to either demodulatereceived phase-shift keying (PSK) band-pass signals or modulateattribute data into transmitted PSK band-pass signals. The nodecontroller 530 is configured to serially provide or otherwise convey thetransmitted data and the received data to and from the self-diagnosticcircuit 720, respectively, via a serial data input and output interface“T”. When requested, the self-diagnostic circuit 720 may transmit theself-diagnostic test results and the information of the self-diagnostictest times to the node RF transceiver circuit 500 with the transmitteddata buffered. The node RF transceiver circuit 500 further comprises anode single-ended antenna 505. In one case, the node RF transceivercircuit 500 further comprises at least one balanced-to-unbalanced device506 configured to convert between a balanced signal from the node MODEM510 and an unbalanced signal from the node single-ended antenna 505.That is to say, the at least one balanced-to-unbalanced device 506 isconfigured to provide a single-ended matched impedance between an inputto the node single-ended antenna 505 and an output from the node MODEM510 for maximizing transmit/receive efficiency. In other words, thisimportant process is designed to ensure signals to transmit withoutsignal reflections and with a required transmission power.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a node RF transceiver circuit in anothercase according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is almost the same asFIG. 5 except that the node RF transceiver circuit 500 may furthercomprise a first RF front-end device 507 coupled to the nodesingle-ended antenna 505 and that the at least onebalanced-to-unbalanced device 506 depicted in FIG. 5 is replaced with afirst pair of balanced-to-unbalanced devices 508 and 509, respectivelyconfigured to convert between the balanced signal from the node MODEM510 and an unbalanced signal from the first RF front-end device 507 formaximizing transmit/receive efficiency. The first RF front-end device507 is configured to combine data streams arriving from different pathsand at different times to increase a data speed and a transmissionrange. The features are essential when a number of LED luminaires eachwith the emergency-operated portion are deployed in a field, and datastreams are generated when a command requesting responses is sending tothe number of LED luminaires. The node controller 530 comprises amicrocontroller, a microchip, or a programmable logic controller, whichmay comprise a network-compliant medium access control (MAC) andprotocol-stack consumer software solutions.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a remote controller according to thepresent disclosure. The remote controller 600 comprises a remote userinterface 610, a principal RF transceiver circuit 620, and a centralcontrol unit 630. The principal RF transceiver circuit 620, served as anetwork coordinator in the LAN or the PAN, comprises a principal MODEM621, a second digital interface 622, and a principal controller 623coupled to the principal MODEM 621 via the second digital interface 622with transmitted data and received data both buffered in a first-in andfirst-out format. The principal MODEM 621 comprises a second set of aplurality of mixers 624, a second low-noise amplifier 625, and a secondpower amplifier 626 and is configured to either demodulate received PSKband-pass signals that comprises attribute data sent from the node RFtransceiver 500 or modulate command data into transmitted PSK band-passsignals. The principal controller 623 is configured to serially providethe transmitted data and the received data to and from the centralcontrol unit 630, respectively. The principal controller 623 comprises amicrocontroller, a microchip, or a programmable logic controller, whichmay comprise a network-compliant medium access control (MAC) andprotocol-stack consumer software solutions same as the node controller530. The remote controller 600 is configured to wirelessly send thetransmitted PSK band-pass signals to the node MODEM 510 (depicted inFIG. 5) in response to a plurality of signals from the remote userinterface 610. The principal RF transceiver circuit 620 is configured toconvert the plurality of signals into a plurality of sets of binary datacharacters. Each of the plurality of sets of binary data characterscomprises command data. The remote user interface 610 compriseskeyboards 611 in a computer-based emergency lighting management system.The keyboards 611 are configured to generate the plurality of signals.At least two of the plurality of signals are respectively configured toturn on and off the power supply unit 311, subsequently turning on andoff the one or more LED arrays 214. At least two of the plurality ofsignals are respectively configured to initiate and to terminate therechargeable battery test. At least one of the plurality of signals isconfigured to request the self-diagnostic test results and theinformation of self-diagnostic test times. The remote controller 600further comprises a voltage regulator 640 with an enable inputconfigured to turn on power to operate the principal RF transceivercircuit 620 only when necessary to reduce a power consumption. Thevoltage regulator 640 is also configured to supply a voltage to operatethe principal MODEM 621 in response to an enable signal from theprincipal controller 623. The principal RF transceiver circuit 620further comprises a principal single-ended antenna 605 and a second RFfront-end device 607 coupled to the principal single-ended antenna 605.The second RF front-end device 607 is configured to combine data streamsarriving from different paths and at different times to increase a dataspeed and a transmission range. With so called multipath propagation,transmitted information bounces off a number of the LED luminaires, eachwith the emergency-operated portion, reaching the receiving antennamultiple times at different angles and slightly different times with anadded spatial dimension, increasing performance and range. The principalRF transceiver circuit 620 further comprises a second pair ofbalanced-to-unbalanced devices 628 and 629 respectively configured toconvert between a balanced signal from the principal MODEM 621 and anunbalanced signal from the second RF front-end device 607 for maximizingtransmit/receive efficiency.

In FIG. 7, at least two of the second set of the plurality of mixers 624are configured to modulate the plurality of sets of binary datacharacters onto a carrier wave with a carrier phase shifted by 180degrees whenever a binary data character “0” is transmitted. It shouldbe appreciated that PSK signaling outperforming both amplitude-shiftkeying (ASK) and frequency-shift keying (FSK) can be found in DigitalCommunication Theory. Owing to simplicity and reduced error probability,the PSK signaling is widely used in wireless local area network (LAN)standard, IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15 using two frequency bands: at868-915 MHz with binary PSK (BPSK) and at 2.4 GHz with offset quadraturePSK (OQPSK).

Whereas preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shownand described, it will be realized that alterations, modifications, andimprovements may be made thereto without departing from the scope of thefollowing claims. Another kind of schemes with an emergency operatedportion operated by using a real-time clock, a test and control unit, anRF transceiver circuit, and various kinds of combinations to accomplishthe same or different objectives could be easily adapted for use fromthe present disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing descriptions andattached drawings are by way of example only and are not intended to belimiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. A light-emitting diode (LED) luminaire,comprising: one or more LED arrays; a power supply unit configured togenerate a main direct-current (DC) voltage with a first LED drivingcurrent to power up the one or more LED arrays at full power when a linevoltage from alternate-current (AC) mains is available; and anemergency-operated portion, comprising: a rechargeable battery with aterminal voltage; at least one full-wave rectifier configured to convertthe line voltage from the AC mains into a first DC voltage; a chargingcircuit comprising a charging control device and a first transformer,the charging circuit coupled to the at least one full-wave rectifier andconfigured to convert the first DC voltage into a second DC voltage thatcharges the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery to reach anominal third DC voltage; an LED driving circuit comprising an inputinductor, an electronic switch, at least one diode rectifier, and anoutput capacitor coupled to the at least one diode rectifier, the LEDdriving circuit configured to convert the terminal voltage of therechargeable battery into a fourth DC voltage with a second LED drivingcurrent to sustain lighting up the one or more LED arrays at a fractionof the full power when the line voltage from the AC mains isunavailable; a control and test circuit comprising a self-diagnosticcircuit and a charging detection and control circuit, the control andtest circuit configured to enable or disable the LED driving circuit andthe power supply unit according to availability of the AC mains andwhether a rechargeable battery test is initiated, the self-diagnosticcircuit comprising a test and control unit comprising a test portion anda control portion; and a node radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitcomprising a node modulator-demodulator (MODEM), a first digitalinterface, and a node controller coupled to the node MODEM via the firstdigital interface with transmitted data and received data both bufferedin a first-in and first-out format, wherein the node MODEM comprises afirst set of a plurality of mixers, a first low-noise amplifier, and afirst power amplifier, wherein the node MODEM is configured to eitherdemodulate received phase-shift keying (PSK) band-pass signals ormodulate attribute data into transmitted PSK band-pass signals, andwherein the node controller is configured to serially provide thetransmitted data and the received data to and from the self-diagnosticcircuit, respectively, wherein: the charging circuit, the LED drivingcircuit, the power supply unit, and the control and test circuit areconfigured to auto-select either the main DC voltage or the fourth DCvoltage to operate the one or more LED arrays; the self-diagnosticcircuit further comprises a real-time clock, wherein the self-diagnosticcircuit is configured to initiate the rechargeable battery testaccording to a plurality of predetermined test schedules provided by thereal-time clock, wherein each of the predetermined test schedulescomprises a test period immediately following an initiation of a testevent, wherein, upon the initiation of the test event, the test periodbegins with an output of the self-diagnostic circuit activated to reacha logic-high level and remaining activated so as to enable the LEDdriving circuit and the test and control unit, wherein, at an end of thetest period, the output of the self-diagnostic circuit is inactivated todrop to a logic-low level, and wherein a duration of the test period isconfigured to allow the self-diagnostic circuit to control dischargingof the rechargeable battery and to perform the rechargeable batterytest; and the node RF transceiver circuit further comprises a nodesingle-ended antenna and at least one balanced-to-unbalanced deviceconfigured to convert between a balanced signal from the node MODEM andan unbalanced signal from the node single-ended antenna for maximumefficiency in transmission and reception.
 2. The LED luminaire of claim1, wherein the node RF transceiver circuit further comprises a first RFfront-end device coupled to the node single-ended antenna, the first RFfront-end device configured to combine data streams arriving fromdifferent paths and at different times to increase a data speed and atransmission range.
 3. The LED luminaire of claim 2, wherein the atleast one balanced-to-unbalanced device comprises a first pair ofbalanced-to-unbalanced devices configured to convert between thebalanced signal from the node MODEM and an unbalanced signal from thefirst RF front-end device.
 4. The LED luminaire of claim 1, wherein thereal-time clock starts with a reset, wherein the predetermined testschedules comprise a first kind of the test event and a second kind ofthe test event respectively at an end of each month and at an end ofeach year after the reset, and wherein respective test periods of thepredetermined test schedules comprise a nominal duration of 30 secondsand 90 minutes.
 5. The LED luminaire of claim 1, wherein the chargingdetection and control circuit further comprises a first transistorcircuit configured to detect a charging voltage, wherein the chargingdetection and control circuit is coupled between the charging circuitand the rechargeable battery and controlled by the self-diagnosticcircuit, and wherein, in response to detecting a charging voltage, thefirst transistor circuit sends a pull-down signal to the self-diagnosticcircuit to enable a charging process.
 6. The LED luminaire of claim 1,wherein the charging detection and control circuit further comprises acharging control circuit comprising a second transistor circuit and ametal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), wherein thecharging control circuit is configured to either allow or prohibit acharging current to flow into the rechargeable battery according toavailability of the AC mains, and wherein the charging control circuitis further configured to prohibit the charging current to flow into therechargeable battery when the rechargeable battery test is initiated. 7.The LED luminaire of claim 6, wherein the second transistor circuit isconfigured to receive a signal with a voltage level equal to a nominaloperating voltage of the self-diagnostic circuit therefrom to pull downa bias voltage of the MOSFET, thereby disconnecting the charging currentwhen the rechargeable battery test is initiated.
 8. The LED luminaire ofclaim 1, wherein the charging detection and control circuit furthercomprises a peripheral circuit configured to sample a fraction of theterminal voltage of the rechargeable battery and to deliver to the testportion to examine over the duration of the test period when therechargeable battery test is initiated.
 9. The LED luminaire of claim 8,wherein the test portion is configured to perform a pass/fail test, andwherein, when the terminal voltage drops below a first predeterminedlevel over the duration of the test period, the test portion assesses afailure for the rechargeable battery test.
 10. The LED luminaire ofclaim 9, wherein the real-time clock further comprises a random-accessmemory (RAM), wherein the self-diagnostic circuit further comprises adata bus connected to the real-time clock, and wherein, at the end ofthe test period, a test result of the pass/fail test is seriallytransmitted via the data bus to the RAM.
 11. The LED luminaire of claim10, wherein the RAM is configured to store multiple attribute data ofself-diagnostic test results in multiple pass/fail tests over thepredetermined test schedules with information of self-diagnostic testtimes.
 12. The LED luminaire of claim 11, wherein both the multipleattribute data of the self-diagnostic test results and the informationof the self-diagnostic test times are serially transferred to the nodeRF transceiver circuit when requested.
 13. The LED luminaire of claim12, wherein the real-time clock further comprises a primary powersupply, a backup power supply, and a built-in power-sense circuitconfigured to detect power outages and to automatically switch from theprimary power supply to the backup power supply to sustain operating thereal-time clock without a loss of the predetermined test schedules, themultiple attribute data of the self-diagnostic test results, and theinformation of the self-diagnostic test times.
 14. The LED luminaire ofclaim 8, wherein the charging detection and control circuit furthercomprises a test switch coupled to the self-diagnostic circuit andconfigured to initiate and terminate either a 30-second test or a90-minute test of the rechargeable battery.
 15. The LED luminaire ofclaim 14, wherein the charging detection and control circuit furthercomprises at least one status indicator configured to couple to theself-diagnostic circuit, and wherein, when either the 30-second test orthe 90-minute test is initiated and when the terminal voltage isexamined to be respectively lower than either a second predeterminedlevel or a third predetermined level, the self-diagnostic circuitchooses not to perform respective tests with a status signal sent to theat least one status indicator to show that the rechargeable battery isinsufficiently charged for the respective tests.
 16. The LED luminaireof claim 1, wherein the test and control unit comprises amicrocontroller, a microchip, a microprocessor, or a programmable logiccontroller.
 17. The LED luminaire of claim 1, further comprising: aremote controller comprising a principal RF transceiver circuit, acentral control unit, and a remote user interface, wherein the principalRF transceiver circuit comprises a principal MODEM, a second digitalinterface, and a principal controller coupled to the principal MODEM viathe second digital interface with transmitted data and received databoth buffered in a first-in and first-out format, herein the principalMODEM comprises a second set of a plurality of mixers, a secondlow-noise amplifier, and a second power amplifier and is configured toeither demodulate received PSK band-pass signals from the node RFtransceiver circuit or modulate command data into transmitted PSKband-pass signals, wherein the principal controller is configured toserially provide the transmitted data and the received data to and fromthe central control unit, respectively, wherein the remote controller isconfigured to send the transmitted PSK band-pass signals to the nodeMODEM in response to a plurality of signals from the remote userinterface, wherein the principal RF transceiver circuit is configured toconvert the plurality of signals into a plurality of sets of binary datacharacters, and wherein each of the plurality of sets of binary datacharacters comprises command data.
 18. The LED luminaire of claim 17,wherein the principal RF transceiver circuit further comprises aprincipal single-ended antenna and a second RF front-end device coupledto the principal single-ended antenna, and wherein the second RFfront-end device is configured to combine data streams arriving fromdifferent paths and at different times to increase a data speed and atransmission range.
 19. The LED luminaire of claim 18, wherein theprincipal RF transceiver circuit further comprises a second pair ofbalanced-to-unbalanced devices respectively configured to convertbetween a balanced signal from the principal MODEM and an unbalancedsignal from the second RF front-end device for maximizingtransmit/receive efficiency.
 20. The LED luminaire of claim 17, whereinat least two of the plurality of signals are respectively configured toinitiate and to terminate the rechargeable battery test.
 21. The LEDluminaire of claim 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of signalsis configured to request self-diagnostic test results and information ofself-diagnostic test times.